Four Dallas-area students named Presidential Scholars

After a dry spell last year, North Texas can claim bragging rights to having four students chosen for the coveted U.S. Presidential Scholars award.

They were the only Texas students chosen for the national award for 2012. Last year’s Texas winners were in the Houston and Austin areas.

The state’s 2012 recipients are seniors:

• Taylor Rodman, who attends Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas.

• Amy Chyao of Plano East Senior High School in Plano.

• Galen Gao of St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas.

• Dillon Stull of McKinney Boyd High School in McKinney.

Rodman, a dance student, received the Presidential Scholar in the Arts award.

“It’s been a dream of mine for about three years now,” said Rodman, 18, who was still giddy after finding out about her selection Wednesday. “I’m still pinching myself in disbelief.”

Stull was stunned to discover he had been chosen.

“Wow — are you serious? That’s amazing,” he said. “I’ve got great news when I get home tonight!”

The senior founded the club H2Ope at McKinney Boyd, which raises money for fresh water wells in Africa. The club’s most recent success will be a new well in South Sudan.

Stull, who also went all the way to state with the McKinney Boyd tennis team, will spend two weeks in Mozambique this summer on a mission trip with First Baptist Church McKinney.

“Faith is a central part of my life,” he said. “It can be hard balancing everything — school, tennis, NHS, mission work. I try to prioritize my relationship with God first.”

Students are selected as Presidential Scholars using criteria including academic success, artistic excellence, school evaluations, essays, leadership and community service. They are selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of private citizens appointed by President Barack Obama.

More than 3,300 students qualified for the award, with 141 chosen, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Chyao has a long list of achievements. She helped further cancer research and co-authored a paper for the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

As a result, she was invited to the White House, sat with the first lady during the 2011 State of the Union address and was nominated for The Dallas Morning News’ Texan of the Year.

Kenneth Balkus, a chemistry professor, has worked with Chyao at the University of Texas at Dallas since her sophomore year in high school, when she won the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

“These kids aren’t building volcanoes in their parents’ living rooms. They’re working in university research labs,” he said. “I can talk to [Chyao] like I can talk to a graduate student. You can tell she’s destined for greatness.”

Gao could not be reached for comment, but Arnold Holtberg, headmaster of St. Mark’s, praised Gao’s accomplishments.

“He’s an extraordinary scholar and a leader in deed as well as in word,” he said. “He strives for excellence.”

The scholars will be honored June 16-19 during events in Washington, D.C..

The scholars were each given the opportunity to invite to the ceremony an educator who inspired them. The educators will be honored with a Teacher Recognition Award from the Department of Education.

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